Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Horticulture: Seasonal Workers

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many international seasonal workers they estimate will be needed for harvesting fruit and vegetables in the UK in 2022.

Lord Benyon: We estimate between 50,000 to 60,000 seasonal workers are needed annually to bring in the harvest in the UK. From 2022, we envisage that growers will increasingly recruit domestically, including British, EU Settlement Scheme workers and Ukrainians looking for employment in the UK, supported with 30,000 workers from the Seasonal Workers visa route and through increasing automation where possible. As announced in the Food Strategy White Paper, there will also be an additional 8,000 visas available this year for seasonal workers in horticulture.